1. Metabolism experiments have been made with five sheep fed iodinated casein in doses sufficient to give symptoms of hyperthyroidism, ranging from moderate to severe. Two comparable sheep were included to serve as controls.

2. The same ration was used throughout each experiment, and it was found that the digestibility of its dry matter and of its crude protein content declined when the sheep were made hyperthyroid. This was due to increased peristalsis.

3. The treated sheep lost body N when iodinated casein was given, the loss being proportional to dosage. Calculations indicated increases in the endogenous catabolism by up to 120%, and also increases in deamination.

4. There was an increased excretion of urea and ammonia during hyperthyroidism, the latter being associated with a decrease in the plasma carbon dioxide combining capacity.

5. Purine catabolism was accelerated by more than 50% in some sheep. Starvation of one sheep did not depress nucleoprotein catabolism as it does in the normal sheep.

1. The physiological effects of severe hyperthyroidism on five sheep are described.

2. Increases in pulse rate of more than 100% were observed. The increase in pulse rate was proportional to dosage with the exception of one sheep which had lesions on the chordae tendinae of the left ventricle.

3. The heart, even though beating at this elevated rate, reacted normally to severe exercise, but there was a tendency for the sheep to carry out its normal functions at a slower rate so such large increases in pulse rate did not occur as the result of voluntary activity.

4. Considerable cardiac arrhythmia was noticed in all hyperthyroid sheep.

5. The relative increases in pulse rate of the cow and the sheep given iodinated casein of the same potency suggest that as between species dosage of iodinated casein is proportional to ‘metabolic body size’—the between species unit of basal metabolism—rather than to body weight itself. On this basis the stimulation of the sheep was between 1 and 4 times the dosage accepted as normal for the cow.

6. Body temperatures increased in the most severely affected animals. Respiratory rates quadrupled in some cases.

1. The compositions and digestibilities of ten selected typical Northern Irish meadow hays have been ascertained and compared with similar data published by other workers for meadow hays produced in the British Isles.

2. It is suggested that average Northern Irish meadow hay of reasonably good quality has a starch equivalent value in the region of 35 on a drymatter basis. Poor samples will have a value in the region of 25.

Comparative digestibility trials have been carried out on hays top-dressed with nitrogenous fertilizers 8–13 days before cutting and on similar hays which were not top-dressed.

The top-dressing resulted in an increase of 2·0% crude protein and 1·2% true protein.

The digestibility of the protein was significantly higher in the top-dressed hays and no other constituents were affected.

The protein equivalents in hay dry matter were increased from 4·4 to 6·0% by the top-dressing.

The available data on calcium, phosphorus and carbonate balance experiments with laying and non-laying birds have been collected and condensed. From this condensed data the following relationships have been derived:

(1) Calcium excretion is a function of calcium intake.

(2) Phosphorus excretion is a function of phosphorus intake.

(3) Carbonate excretion is a function of carbonate intake.

(4) Carbonate/calcium ratio of the excreta is a function of carbonate/calcium ratio of the intake.

(5) Calcium/phosphorus ratio of the excreta is a function of calcium/phosphorus ratio of the intake.

It has been shown in a previous communication that the meal-replacement value of young grass in actual pig-feeding practice is considerably poorer than would be anticipated from a consideration of its content of ‘total digestible nutrients’ as determined by means of pig digestion trials. This is because the figure for ‘total digestible nutrients’ takes no account of the energy expended by the pig in consuming and masticating its food. Although this wastage of energy does not represent a serious loss in relation to the rate of live-weight increase in the case of ordinary pig meals fed in the form of a thick slop, it becomes of considerable significance when grass forms a major component of the diet, on account of the bulkiness of the grass and its unfavourable physical texture from the standpoint of consumption by pigs.

1. Sexually immature White Wyandotte pullets have been treated with gonadal hormones with the object of simulating those changes in calcium and phosphorus metabolism which normally take place during the fortnight or so before laying begins.

2. It is shown that certain treatments of the sexually immature pullet with oestradiol dipropionate evoked hypertrophy of the oviduct and changes in blood calcium and phosphorus similar to those encountered in the normal laying pullet, but did not produce any significant increase in the rate of calcium or phosphorus retention.

Moisture content and temperature are of first importance in the storage of seeds. Seeds are usually stored in porous containers like sacks and paper bags, and their water content fluctuates with the humidity of the surrounding atmosphere. In sealed chambers, on the other hand, the humidity of the atmosphere will be determined by the water content of the seeds and, with different kinds of seeds in an enclosed space, an exchange of water will occur until equilibrium has been reached. This does not mean, however, that different kinds of seeds, or even different samples of the same kind will have exactly the same final water content, since the water content/humidity relations are affected by differences in structure, chemical composition and previous drying treatment; it is permissible, however, for practical purposes, to ignore the slight differences which occur between samples of the same kind of seed.

Certain vegetable seeds show such a marked loss of viability on storage that they are generally useless after 1–2 years storage under average commercial conditions; the most valuable seeds which store particularly badly are parsnip, onion and carrot. Storage experiments were therefore designed and set up to show the effect of the following factors on the viability of the seeds:

(a) The water content as determined by the humidity of the atmosphere in which the seeds were stored.

(b) Atmospheric conditions, viz. ventilated air, unventilated air and nitrogen.

(c) Temperature.

The loss of viability of seeds of Chewing's Fescue Grass has been a serious problem to both the producers in New Zealand and the trade in the United Kingdom. It has been shown by Foy (1934) that seeds with a high moisture content (20 %) held at 30° C. deteriorated rapidly after 10–14 days and even more quickly at 40° and 50° C. Seeds with a water content of 13 % deteriorated more slowly but it was not until the water content was reduced to and maintained at 5 % that seeds retained their viability at 30°, 40° or 50° C. for 42 days. Even at room temperature (16–20° C.) the loss of viability occurred after 4–5 months at 20 % water content and after 8–9 months at 13 % but at 5 % water content there was no loss. Foy discusses the effects of temperature and humidity that may occur during transport; Hyde (1935) has examined the effect of heating seeds to 50°, 60°, 70°, 80° and 90° C. with a view to working out the conditions for artificial drying of the seeds before transport, and Lewis (1934) has found that, in some seasons, there was a marked loss of viability in storing these seeds in the United Kingdom.